I'm building a basic phrase list that I will learn for countries that I visit. What are your most useful travel phrases? I'm also looking for anything that would be useful specifically for Egyptian Arabic. [more inside]
posted by Alison on Nov 30, 2009 - 14 answers

Relocating to South America: haven't touched Spanish in 20 years, how do I freshen my lingual skills up? [more inside]
posted by devilish on Oct 12, 2009 - 7 answers

I'm half Dutch, but I've never been to The Netherlands. On my first trip there, where should I go, and what should I do, to get a better understanding of contemporary Dutch culture and language? [more inside]
posted by embrangled on Oct 8, 2009 - 11 answers

What applications/software for your mobile device did you find useful/essential for travelling? [more inside]
posted by zaebiz on Mar 31, 2009 - 2 answers

Which are the 100 most important words for travellers? [more inside]
posted by Black Spring on Mar 24, 2009 - 41 answers

Any survival tips for a non-Spanish speaker going to Barcelona? [more inside]
posted by some idealist on Mar 15, 2009 - 20 answers

How does a 40ish year old male with enough money find his way around Europe without foreign language skills? Is it possible to hire guides to travel with, or at least to show them around on a city-by-city basis for this sort of thing? I'm thinking specifically France, Spain, Italy. Willing to use University students or some other creative possibility. [more inside]
posted by vizsla on Aug 5, 2008 - 18 answers

I'll be taking the Trans-Siberian from Beijing to Moscow, leaving next Saturday. I'd like to spend my five days on the train doing a cram course and learning as much basic Russian as I can. I already know the alphabet, and some very basic phrases (ie. "where is the metro?"). Are there any good online courses I can print out and take with me? [more inside]
posted by pcameron on Jul 7, 2008 - 2 answers

Traveling to Oaxaca with a friend for a 2-4 week Spanish immersion program this June/July. We are looking for some advice about Spanish language programs, homestays/lodging, and transportation. We are having a very difficult time finding a good learning program—there are so many to choose from and we don't quite know what to look for and how to determine which ones are good. [more inside]
posted by iamkimiam on May 19, 2008 - 7 answers

My wife and I are talking about getting out of the country (US of A) for about a month. Where shall we go? [more inside]
posted by The Giant Squid on Sep 21, 2007 - 10 answers

Brainstorming summer employment opportunities in Arabic-speaking countries. [more inside]
posted by The White Hat on Oct 17, 2006 - 8 answers

How long would it take a 'proactive' person to pick up a language if living and working in a foreign city? [more inside]
posted by TheOtherGuy on Aug 12, 2006 - 20 answers

Where can I safely and productively visit in French-speaking Africa for a few weeks (other French-speaking areas considered)? [more inside]
posted by amtho on Jun 29, 2006 - 16 answers

Albania - where to stay, what to do? [more inside]
posted by lorrer on Jun 19, 2006 - 4 answers

I would like to spend an academic year studying Russian in Russia. [more inside]
posted by speranza on Oct 19, 2005 - 5 answers

Questions about learning Russian and SIT-TESOL/CELTA certification... [more inside]
posted by fake on Jun 27, 2005 - 5 answers

Of Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.:

Who hates Americans least?
Who is the least conservative?
Whose language is easiest to learn?
posted by pissfactory on Nov 3, 2004 - 41 answers

I just bought an overpriced piece of luggage and as a method to make sure it's easily recognizeable (like all modern luggage it's plain black fabric) and lower it's inherent value i want to place a sticker on it that says "This is not your bag" in as many languages as possible. I just don't trust babelfish not to make my bag say "bag yours not" so i'm hopeing i can steal some of that bilingual knowledge out there.
posted by NGnerd on Jul 11, 2004 - 35 answers